I am a substitute teacher, and I think teachers have the hardest job in the world! To be surrounded by 20-30 little kids all day and trying to keep them on task is stressful to say the least. I substitute occasionally, and that’s about all I can handle!
And when it comes to being a parent, [...]
I know how easy it is for a parent to lose it. Screaming, Stomping, Throwing things! I’ve been there.
I don’t know how they do it, but our cute little angels are adorable and cuddly one minute, and drive us insane the next.
But we are the adult here. We don’t need to be controlled by a [...]
I just finished helping out with a week of Vacation Bible School at my church. It was tiring but fun.
Our VBS attracts a large number of kids from the community who do not normally come to our church. Guess which kids are the ones that everyone gets acquainted with real fast? Yup, the trouble makers.
The [...]
A reader asked, “I would LOVE to hear some tips on how to get the kids to do their chores. You know, without making me turn into the Wicked Witch of the West???”
This is one of the most common question I get asked by parents.
First, we all know that mothers are known to be nags. [...]
According to a survey by Babycenter.com, teaching children manners is “back in Vogue.”
Why?
The top reason, the survey found, moms say that the world has become a more “freewheeling” place and they want to give their children tools to guide them.
The number two reason that moms give for teaching children manners is witnessing bad behavior in [...]
Imagine a child living in the toughest neighborhoods of New York City. How can he have a chance to experience the beauty of nature, to go hiking, to get some Fresh Air?
Now he can, with THE FRESH AIR FUND!
The Fresh Air fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 [...]
Do children under 3 years old need formal education?
Do we need to buy them learning programs and educational software?
In a previous post, I pointed out a recent debate about whether DVD programs such as “Baby Einstein” are any use at all.
Do children learn by sitting and watching? Do they learn sitting in a classroom alongside [...]
I just finished reading Brenda Nixon’s newest book The Birth to Five Book – Confident Childrearing Right from the Start. I have the privilege of interviewing Brenda on my next podcast coming up next week to talk more about this book.
I found this book full of practical advice for dilemmas that parents of young children [...]
Along the lines of Facebook’s 25 Random Things tag, here are my 25 Random Things about parenting:
1. Hugging your children renews your energy, your perspective, and your joy. And it’s free!
2. If you bake brownies, they will come.
3. Make breakfast for dinner once in a while just to change things up.
4. It’s ok if your [...]
In yesterday’s post, I covered Part 1 of a reader’s question, “How do I pass our values on our children?”
Here are some more practical tips on how to pass our values on to our children:
1. Have good reasons for your stand.
“Why is it wrong to have sex before marriage? A lot of people do [...]
A reader asks, “How do I stop my toddler from whining?”
Honestly, even adults whine! I get whiny when I don’t get what I want. “I want a new kitchen…I want a vacation…I want to eat out every night…”
I whine when I can’t control the circumstances in my favor and get what I want.
So it [...]
A reader asks, “How hard do you push your opinions when your kid has a friend that you really don’t approve of?”
How hard you push depends a lot on the age of your child. You have more influence on a child in single digit age than a teenager. With kids of all ages, this issues [...]
If you have more than one child, you know it is unrealistic to think you can treat them all “equally.”
With different interests, personalities, and ages, it is impossible to be “equal.” The pie cannot be cut precisely the same. You can hear it already – “It’s not fair; he got the bigger piece!”
Our standard response [...]
Honestly, we parents get rather defensive when it comes to people giving us advice about our kids.
Before my brother had his own kids, he would often give me [unsolicited] advice. “Don’t let your son play with that.” or “You’re spoiling him by doing that.”
My response: Wait till you have your own kids.
And sure enough, [...]
This may surprise you, but I read that most teenagers actually rate their parents high on the list of people they trust to give them accurate information about sex.
Yet, we as parents are often embarrassed to talk about sex with our children, aren’t we?
Honestly, my mother never talked to me specifically about sex. It was [...]
Have you ever squeezed too much toothpaste and tried to get it back in? You can’t do it.
It’s the same with words. Out of frustration, we often say things we don’t mean. But once the words are out, you can’t take them back.
Here is a list of things I’ve actually heard parents say [...]
This is the 6th and last article on Effective Discipline
I heard on the radio of a dad telling the story of his 6 perfectly behaved children . He trained them properly alright. But as his children got older, he realized they were behaving out of fear and guilt. They did not dare disobey their [...]
Three days ago, my 18-year-old daughter underwent maxillofacial surgery – more commonly known as jaw surgery. Her under-bite was protruded to such an extent that it affected her eating and speech as well as her facial structure. We’ve been anticipating this surgery for the past 2 years, waiting for her jaw to completely grow [...]
Today’s article is written by Peter Aldin, founder of Great Circle Life Coaching. For over a decade, he has provided coaching, workshops and training that assist people to sharpen their personal and professional relationships and communication. Peter and his family live and work in Melbourne. I love his light-hearted (and helpful) look at fatherhood [...]
Whether it’s your hamster, your goldfish, or your family dog, it is not easy for a child to face the death of a pet. It is even harder for a parent to have to explain it.
At one time we had 6+ hamsters and 2 dogs. Now we are down to one rabbit.
We grieved the hardest [...]
This is the third article in the series on discipline. This one deals with younger children. Disciplining older children will be the topic of the next article in this series.
In approaching the subject of discipline, our idea is to think of what to do when a child misbehaves.
But the best defense is a [...]
This is the second article in the series on Discipline.
Honestly, no one likes to be disciplined, isn’t that right? Whether you are an adult being disciplined by the law or by your boss, or you are a child disciplined by a teacher or by a parent, it’s definitely no fun.
This is the first article in a series on Discipline
Dr. Laura was asked a question by a mother about the proper method of disciplining her son to behave well when they go to the market.
Her response I thought was right on. Dr. Laura said, “It’s not always about discipline.”
Children do not behave the way [...]
We parents recognize that the computer is a great tool and we want our children to use the computer.
But at the same time we are fearful for our children when they do use the computer!
My son is one of those that would have taken apart the radio and rebuilt a better one if he was [...]
During recess at the elementary school today where I was substituting, I observed with interest all the children playing in the playground. There were boys playing football and kickball in the field. Groups of kids were playing handball and basketball on the blacktop. Some were on the swings and monkey bars. Many of the [...]
Social network sites are the big thing. But the word MySpace strikes fear into the heart of concern parents. Should we allow our children to use MySpace? When my daughter asked if she can open an account, I had to think through this issue. Here’s how I decided…
I get lazy, do you?
I have half finished projects, a messy desk, and stacks of paperwork waiting for me.
Children are often lazy too. They scribble a few answers on their homework, write a paragraph or two, and consider their homework done.
When I was substituting at an after-school care center, I helped children do their school [...]
Would you rather clean the house or go shopping? Would you choose washing dishes over watching TV?
No one prefers work over pleasure – not you, and certainly not your kids. So it really should come as no surprise that our children will find every excuse to procrastinate doing their homework or chores. Don’t we as [...]
What do you hope your children will be like when they grow up? We want them to have a good education, be financially secure, settle down and have a good family, right?
Have you thought about wanting your children to be compassionate people?
Merriam-Webster defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to [...]
